Quotes of the Day

“You can’t just let people out and say ‘Good luck.’ There are so many variables when it comes to why someone is incarcerated and just being given the opportunity to get out doesn’t mean you’ve solved a lot of those problems so we have to be vigilant about going after those issues.” 

-State Rep. Jason Dunnington speaking about criminal justice reform [KFGO]

“It’s an overdue step, even, but really the real work for the community starts now in supporting our fellow Oklahomans. We want to make sure that we’re giving them all the tools that (we) can to be successful. They’re our neighbors.”

-Lynde Gleason, re-entry case manager at The Education and Employment Ministry non-profit group [The Oklahoman]

“We have decades of politics and policy that led to our incarceration rates. Our system has been very punitive, it’s been based on retribution. But ultimately these reforms were directly the will of the people, the voice of the people.”

-Kris Steele, Executive Director of Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform [The Frontier & The Marshall Project]

“More than 450 Oklahomans are getting a second chance today.”

-Gov. Kevin Stitt, speaking after Friday’s Pardon and Parole Board meeting. [The Oklahoman] 

“Sometimes folks in these rural counties are having to choose between feeding their kids, buying medicine, putting gas in their car or making their payments to avoid going to jail.”

-Tim Laughlin of the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System. [Journal Record]

“This is a complicated solution to a simple problem. The simple problem is gerrymandering, and the complicated solution is creating multiple firewalls to prevent the influence of partisan politics from corrupting the redistricting process.”

-Andy Moore, executive director of People Not Politicians speaking about the group’s redistricting ballot initiative. [NonDoc]

“Every dollar the legislature is willing to allocate to its constitutional obligation to fund public education is one step closer to reversing the regressive trend that has kept Oklahoma at the bottom nationwide when it comes to public education.”

-Nancy Garber with the Cherokee County Democrats speaking about the state education department’s FY2021 budget request. [Tahlequah Daily Press]

“We are here to send a mandate that we are ready for Oklahomans to decide this issue at the ballot box.”

– Amber England, Yes on 802 campaign manager, speaking about turning in the largest number of signatures for an initiative petition in state history. [The Oklahoman]

“We have made great strides in teacher pay and must now continue our investment in classrooms and student support. This budget request will help us reach the goals outlined in our eight-year strategic plan, Oklahoma Edge.”

-State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, speaking about the education department’s upcoming budget request. [Tulsa World]

“We must focus on reducing all barriers to individuals seeking health care, such as poverty, stigma, and lack of health insurance.”

-Lori Tremmel, National Association of County and City Health Officials CEO, speaking about a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. [Tahlequah Daily Press]